Alexander Torshin resigned as deputy chairman of the Central Bank. Alexander Torshin turned out to be an American agent of influence Aleksandr Torshin central bank biography
This post is also available in:
On July 15, Maria Butina, an assistant to the deputy chairman of the Central Bank of Russia and ex-senator Alexander Torshin, was arrested in the United States. On Wednesday, a grand jury charged her with conspiracy and acting as a foreign agent without registration (up to 15 years in prison).As follows from the FBI indictment, she and Torshin received the approval of a representative of the “Russian presidential administration” for their project to establish a shadow channel of communication between the Kremlin and the Republicans. The contact was established through the NRA, and it is possible - investigators are now investigating - through it, Russia also financed the Trump campaign. This plot looks especially fascinating in the light of the fact that in the process of “establishing contact with the Republicans”, Torshin narrowly escaped arrest in Spain for money laundering by the Taganskaya criminal group. From the Spanish investigation, The Insider learned many interesting details about Torshin's activities in the Taganskaya organized criminal group and invites readers to familiarize themselves with the most striking episodes of this story.
Chronicle of infiltration into the Trump team
During the US presidential election, the largest donor of gray money (that is, funds of unknown origin) was the NRA (The National Rifle Association - National Rifle Organization), which spent $ 33 million from "independent donations" funds. This is three times more than during the previous campaign, when Mitt Romney was elected. It was the NRA that became the main tool for bringing Torshin and Butina closer to the Trump headquarters. The introduction of this pair in the NRA has become quite a fascinating storyline. Here is his brief chronology.
In 2011, lawyer Kline Preston introduced Torshin to David Keane, then the head of the NRA. In the same year, Preston came to observe the Russian parliamentary elections and came to the conclusion that they were absolutely fair. In 2012, on the contrary, Torshin came to observe the American elections and "found violations" - campaigning too close to the polling stations. At the same time, he visited the NRA headquarters in Washington:
In May 2013, Torshin attended the NRA convention, where future Republican presidential candidates Rick Perry, Ted Cruz and Rick Santorum spoke. That same year, NRA president David Keane flew to a conference organized by the Right to Gun movement, which was led by Torshin's aide Maria Butina.
Butina and presidential candidate Rick Santorum
Most of the information about how Torshin established the Kremlin's connection with the Republicans is based precisely on the data obtained during the surveillance of Butina. An affidavit in support of Butina's criminal charge, signed by FBI Special Agent Kevin Helson and published on the US Department of Justice website, says that his data are based on the results of searches in two premises, operational surveillance, as well as on the study of documents (including electronic ) found in Butina's computer and smartphone.
In 2014, Butina brought Paul Erickson, a functionary of the NRA and the Republican Party, to speak in Moscow. Erickson, 56, would become the boyfriend of 29-year-old Butina and introduce her to many other important Republicans and NRA members. But, as the FBI notes, cohabitation with Erickson was more of a business necessity for her, since, for example, she offered some other functionary (the FBI does not name the name) to sleep in exchange for a position in the organization (most likely, we are also talking about the NRA). The FBI also notes that in one of the letters she complains about the need to live with Erickson and speaks contemptuously about him.
Butina and her roommate Paul Erickson in 2013
It is curious that during this period of her life, Butina still positioned herself as an activist fighting for the legalization of weapons in Russia, and on this basis she communicated a lot with other activists and oppositionists. Navalny even offered to nominate her to the Public Chamber (like Butina, Navalny is in favor of the free bearing of weapons). Apparently, in connection with this, her activities received the attention of the Presidential Administration - Timur Prokopenko, deputy head of the Internal Policy Department of the Presidential Administration (as follows from his hacked correspondence), instructed Kristina Potupchik to write a revealing post about Butina.
In 2015, Putin appointed Torshin as deputy chairman of the Central Bank. In the same year, Torshin financed the visit to Moscow of high-ranking representatives of the NRA, as well as Fox News journalist David Clark, who met with Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Dmitry Rogozin, then Deputy Prime Minister. The official organizer was the same organization "Right to Arms" by Maria Butina.
In the same 2015, Butina entered the master's program at the American University in Washington. According to the FBI intercepted correspondence between Butina and Erickson, admission to the magistracy was only a pretext for obtaining a student visa. From the same correspondence it follows that Butina constantly turned to Erickson with a request to help her in completing academic tasks and answering exam questions. However, she still went to class.
Butina and NRA chief Wayne Lapierre
On March 24, 2015, Butina wrote a letter to Erickson with the subject “Posner number two” (probably a reference to Vladimir Pozner, who, while working for the State Radio and Television, conveyed Soviet ideas about reality to the American audience). A project file was attached to the letter. The original document was in Russian, and Butina is sending over the Google translation to save time. Apparently, the project itself is intended for someone who does not speak English. Butina asks an American for advice before sending someone the final version. The draft states that the US elections are likely to be won by the Republicans, and that despite the fact that they are known for their traditionally aggressive foreign policy, especially towards Russia, the elections are nevertheless a good occasion for dialogue in order to achieve constructive relations with Russia. . Butina indicates in this letter that she attends NRA events. That in the United States she is already being introduced to her interlocutors as "a representative of Russia's informal diplomacy." Butina even has a budget for the project - $125,000 for further participation in all Republican conferences that will take place before the elections.
In February 2016, Butina and Erickson open a joint company called Bridges, LLC. To journalists, Erickson will then reply that the company was set up to pay for Butina's master's degree in the US, which doesn't sound very plausible. Then, in February, Torshin publishes a tweet:
In one of the letters, Butina reported that the approval of the representative of the Russian presidential administration of their "Russian-American project" had been received. “All we needed was Putin's approval. The rest is easier, ”she noted. Butina even began to prepare the arrival of Putin himself for the next “prayer breakfast” in 2017. According to her, Torshin invited Putin to the next breakfast, and Putin did not say no. Butina stated the conditions under which Putin could appear: the participation of other heads of state, a personal invitation from the President of the United States. The breakfast organizer told her that in any case, 10 breakfast places were reserved for her for 2017.
“All we needed was Putin's approval. The rest is easier"
In May 2016, Torshin hoped to meet Trump at the annual NRA convention in Louisville, but he only managed to get a meeting with Donald Trump Jr. In one of the letters of that period, Torshin wrote that he managed to establish a secret channel of communication between the Kremlin and the leaders of the Republicans through the NRA.
On June 9, 2016 (strangely coincidentally, the same day the event took place), American conservative activist Rick Clay sent a letter to Trump aide Rick Dearborn, requesting on Torshin's behalf an informal meeting with Trump to discuss "common Christian values." The subject of the letter was "connections with the Kremlin". Then the Trump headquarters refused to meet.
A month later, Butina still managed to talk to Trump: during the libertarian FreedomFest event in Las Vegas, she asked him about lifting sanctions against Russia (Trump replied that relations with Putin would improve under him):
Meeting with a representative of the Russian special services
Torshin himself in his correspondence compared Butina with the spy Anna Chapman - after the first publications in the American press appeared about Butina's activities - to which she replied: “It is interesting that only our liberal media translated the article.<...>Perhaps it was ours who interceded for me. Torshin replied that, they say, what else to expect from the liberals, to which Butina said: “Another thing is important, it is clear that there is an order not to touch us. I think that's a good sign." Torshin: "So far, yes, but if something changes, we are guaranteed to get into the list of agents of influence." Butina: “For now, I would keep a low profile. Some time. You're probably in trouble because of that stupid leak? Sorry..."
The FBI also discovered Butina's connections with Russian oligarchs - in particular, with a billionaire, not named in the report by name, whom she called the "sponsor" and with whom she corresponded via private messages on Twitter. Judging by the description, we can talk about Gleb Fetisov, who worked with Torshin on the same committee in the Federation Council and has a Twitter account (fetisov had previously been involved in one of The Insider), Deputy Director of Transparency International Russia Ilya suggested in his telegram channel Shumanov. A spokesman for Fetisov denied this, saying that he was under investigation in Russia and could not travel to the United States. To finance her trip to the United States, Butina turned to another Russian businessman, whose name was not released.
"They called him the godfather." How Torshin is connected with the Taganskaya OPG and the FSB
In the process of investigating the Butina case, the FBI requested information about Torshin from Spanish law enforcement agencies. On August 21, 2013, when the operation to infiltrate Butina into the NRA was still being planned, Torshin was supposed to fly to Mallorca for the birthday of his friend and colleague Alexander Romanov. At the hotel and at the airport, Spanish police were already waiting for him to arrest him in the case of money laundering by the Taganka criminal group. However, at the last moment, Torshin changed his mind about flying. The Spanish police are sure: Torshin was warned by the Russian prosecutor's office, to which the Spaniards sent inquiries about Torshin and the Taganskaya organized criminal group.
Romanov was nevertheless detained in December 2013 and sentenced to 3 years 9 months for money laundering and forgery of documents, and also sentenced to a fine of € 4.244 million (with the verdict of the Regional Court of the Balearic Islands, Spain, dated May 26, 2016, reviewed by The Insider). His wife Natalya Vinogradova was sentenced to 22 months in prison. The court considered the episode of money laundering from a raider seizure by investing them in the purchase of the Mar y Pins hotel in Palma de Mallorca under the guise of a fictitious "loan" as proved by the court. The hotel was eventually confiscated in favor of the state and sold at auction in 2017 after the verdict came into force.
Romanov met Torshin back in 1995, when he worked at the Central Bank - Deputy Chairman Torshin was his boss. Torshin declares that he has only personal, but not business relations with Romanov. Spanish investigators do not think so.
“Apparently, Romanov is being used as an intermediary between Torshin and the leader of the Taganskaya criminal organization Igor Zhirnokleev,” reads one of the investigation documents in Spain, which The Insider has read. In total, there are about a dozen investigative documents that mention Torshin directly. Among them is Torshin's personal card, started by the "Civil Guard" (photo, phone, belonging to an organized crime group, communications). 12 pages of concretization of the accusation directly to Torshin, a file of transcripts of intercepted telephone conversations between Torshin himself and Romanov, or between Romanov and other defendants in the case, where they discuss the guidelines of Porfiryevich, as well as documents related to the Taganskaya OPG and the criminal case of Alexander Romanov.
From the intercepted conversations of Romanov, which The Insider got acquainted with, it becomes clear who was in charge of the operations. Romanov called Alexander Torshin "Porfiryevich", "boss", "godfather". The latter, however, is explained not by his mafia status, but by the fact that Torshin is the godfather of Romanov's son. On March 19, 2013, Romanov tells the local manager in Mallorca, Alexander Alexandrides (also convicted in his case), that he received an assignment from "Porfiryevich" to find and buy a suitable hotel. Alexandridis says that Torshin is a senator and cannot buy the hotel in his own name. Romanov is surprised in response: “There are adult children, grandchildren.” They agree that Torshin's name should not appear anywhere.
“Porfiryevich will arrive in two months and wants to see him in person,” Romanov says to his colleague and asks him to prepare what is on Mallorca. In the future, they discuss the price - € 13 million. Having agreed on the cost, Romanov tells Alexandridis that "the godfather called, showed interest, but only if the hotel has no debts." When the hotel was purchased by the firm of Romanov and his wife Natali Mar y Pins, Romanov stated in one of the telephone conversations that he would nevertheless deal with some “guarantees for Porfirievich” (it is not clear from the context what is meant, but a blind trust was probably planned over the firm, which the investigators could not find).
The Taganskaya organized criminal group was formed back in the late 80s and was based in the center of Moscow, having at its disposal about a hundred “bayonets”. She made her initial capital by stealing cars and supplying drugs, then she began to “protect” businessmen. In the 2000s, raider seizures became the main activity of the group.
The grouping managed to “squeeze out” such enterprises as Kristall, TPK Kvant, LB Ikalto in Kaliningrad and the Moskva department store. During the raider seizures, Romanov was even arrested in 2005 in Moscow, and at that time other people acted on behalf of the group. Romanov was sentenced for fraud to three years in prison, but very quickly got out on parole. In 2010, he left for Spain, where he created several companies that received fictitious loans - in other words, they laundered the money of the "Tagansky".
On February 21, 2013, Romanov informs Porfiryevich that he will try to send a note through him, which will indicate "where to transfer and how." Romanov says that "until he solves their common problems, he will not calm down." The Spanish investigation suggests that we are talking about money from the seizure of the Moskva department store by the Afganets company, the beneficiaries of which were Romanov (he eventually transferred € 1.6 million received from this scam to Spain), as well as Grigory Rabinovich and Igor Zhirnokleev - other leaders of the "Tagansky".
How Moscow was captured
On April 6, 2011, a group of 20 people armed with batons and traumatic weapons entered the building of the Moskva department store on Leninsky Prospekt. One of the intruders shot several times at the ceiling. Before the arrival of the police squad, a fight broke out in the store between security officers and those who came, after which three people were hospitalized. One of the people who came to the store introduced himself as the manager of the Moskva company and explained that he was the new head of the department store. This public part of the story became part of a long struggle for the department store, which was waged by the Taganskaya organized criminal group. Torshin took an active part in it.
In fact, the high-profile shooting episode of 2011 was only part of a decades-long struggle for the first Soviet department store, opened in 1963 as an experimental store where Western retail technologies were introduced and adapted to the Soviet consumer. In the 2000s, the department store experienced several raider seizures and redistribution of property. It all started in 2003 with a conflict between the general director of the store, Dmitry Ulyanitsky, and the holder of 82.2% of the shares of the department store, Igor Zakharov. Zakharov then dismissed Ulyanitsky, but the latter, with the help of the court, was able to force his opponents out of the department store and take his seat again. In 2005, the GIGroup company of Grigory Rabinovich, one of the leaders of the Taganskaya organized crime group, became the actual owner of 80% of the department store's shares. Initially, the company was attracted as an investor for the reconstruction of the department store, and soon the annual meeting of shareholders decided to introduce Rabinovich himself, as well as his representatives, to the board of directors of Moskva. In September 2006, Rabinovich was put on the federal wanted list in a criminal case on the raider seizure of the Moscow Kristall plant.
Grigory Rabinovich, one of the leaders of the Taganskaya OPG
As Ulyanitsky said in an interview with Novaya Gazeta in 2007, when it was time to pay the department store's debts, Rabinovich did not have any money. The owner of GIGroup used the reconstruction funds to cover the group's old debts. Ulyanitsky, who at that time owned 10% of the shares, bought out the additional issue of the company and became the main owner of Moskva, increasing his share to 95%. In response to this, Rabinovich attempted to forcibly seize the department store building. In October 2008, law enforcement agencies conducted searches and seizure of accounting records in the Moskva department store. Ulyanitsky was detained at the airport, from where he tried to fly abroad. According to Rabinovich, a criminal case was initiated against Ulyanitsky.
In October 2009, Andrei Bralyuk, deputy head of the legal department of the department store, was beaten near his house: he was taken to the hospital in serious condition and died a few months later. In August of the same year, an attempt was made on another legal adviser of the department store, Marina Efremova: her car was fired upon from a firearm, but the woman miraculously survived.
In 2010, the period of final trials with the Ulyanitsky and Taganskaya organized crime groups began. And then Torshin was the last to help.
On March 4, 2011, Alexander Torshin sent a letter on the official letterhead of the First Vice Speaker of the Federation Council to Prosecutor General Yuri Chaika with a request to sort out this conflict. Chaika "figured it out", and the prosecutor's office ruled against Ulyanitsky. After that, Torshin - through his representative Alexander Romanov - began withdrawing money abroad. This scheme, according to the Spanish investigation, was worked out even after the capture of the Kristall plant:
“Alexander Torshin is actively involved in the withdrawal of money from Russia to Spain through Alexander Romanov. To do this, he developed a method for distributing money from the raider seizure of the Kristall distillery in 2004-2005. More specifically, during these years, Alexander Romanov illegally withdraws 108.5 million rubles. (€ 2,715 million) from this company through TPK Kvant".
According to the Spanish investigation, Romanov coordinated the distribution of funds at personal meetings with Torshin, as well as two leaders of the Taganskaya organized criminal group - Grigory Rabinovich and Igor Zhirnokleev. The banker Ilya Gavrilov also participated. Moreover, the FBI suspected Rabinovich of money laundering in the United States in favor of Yaponchik (Vyacheslav Ivankov), who was later killed in Moscow. Criminal case No. 12814006109 is currently open against Rabinovich in Latvia, according to one of the documents of the Spanish investigation in the Romanov case.
The conclusions of the Spanish investigators are supported by numerous documents, including intercepted telephone conversations and emails (available to The Insider).
It follows from the wiretaps, for example, that Romanov rented out the seized premises in Moscow and also transferred part of the income to Spain. So, in a conversation dated June 21, 2012 (the interlocutor is unknown), Romanov is indignant that the Yolki-Palki restaurant pays a “non-market price”. He is going to double the rent or kick out the landlords, despite their preemptive right to rent, and if they do not agree, he will turn to the "godfather" for help.
It can also be concluded from the wiretaps that Torshin helped the group with contacts with the security forces. So, for example, according to the Spanish investigation, after the raider seizure of LB Ikalto, a group of Russian security forces led by a certain Anton arrested the husband of the owner of the company, Lilia Bastene, along with a group of Chechens, as they created problems for the Taganskaya organized criminal group. On June 20, 2013, Romanov called Zhirnokleev (one of the leaders of the Taganskaya organized criminal group) and asked if he “had seen Anton” and whether the Chechens, who had been released on bail, had been put on the wanted list. Romanov is dissatisfied, because he believes that “the guys who detained them” may have problems. Spanish investigators do not know who the Anton mentioned by Romanov is, who is Torshin's contact in the power structures of Russia. They suspect that this is some high rank of the FSB. Anton's boss, judging by the wiretaps, is a certain Sasha.
According to The Insider, however, Anton is none other than Anton Klimov, head of the 24th department of the 7th ORCH UUR of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation for Moscow. According to the lawyers of the injured party, the raider seizure helped to carry out this particular department. The head of Anton Klimov then really was "Sasha" - the head of the criminal investigation department Alexander Trushkin.
Torshin's connections with the Ministry of Internal Affairs are clearly not limited. So, for example, the economist Sergei Aleksashenko, one of Torshin's immediate superiors in the Central Bank in the 90s, stated that Torshin had long-standing ties with the FSB. In turn, politician Vladimir Milov
The deputies of the Legislative Assembly of St. Petersburg adopted a resolution to recall Mironov from the upper house of parliament. Mironov automatically loses not only the mandate of the senator, but also the position of speaker of the Federation Council. According to the regulations of the Federation Council, Alexander Torshin will be appointed acting chairman of the upper chamber as the first deputy speaker, Nikolai Tulaev, head of the Federation Council commission on regulations and parliamentary procedures, told RIA Novosti on Wednesday.
Alexander Porfiryevich Torshin was born on November 27, 1953 in the village of Mitoga, Ust-Bolsheretsky District, Kamchatka Region.
In 1973-1975. He served in the Armed Forces of the USSR.
In 1978, majoring in jurisprudence. PhD in Law, Associate Professor.
He worked as a teacher and associate professor at the Academy of Social Sciences under the Central Committee of the CPSU.
In 1990-1991 - an employee of the Department for Relations with Socio-Political Organizations of the Office of the Central Committee of the CPSU, worked in the Office of the President of the USSR.
In 1992-1993 - Deputy Head of the Department for Cooperation with the Supreme Council and Public Organizations of the Government Office of the Russian Federation.
In 1993-1995 in the Office of the Council of Ministers - the Government of the Russian Federation, successively held the positions of Deputy Head of Department and Head of the Department for Interaction with Chambers of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, Deputy Fractions and Deputies of the Department for Interaction with the Federal Assembly and Public Organizations.
In 1995-1998 - State Secretary of the Central Bank of Russia (with the rank of Deputy Chairman of the Bank), was responsible for interaction with government bodies, public organizations and the press.
In 1998-1999 - Plenipotentiary Representative of the Government of the Russian Federation in the State Duma with the rank of Deputy Head of the Government Staff.
From March 1999, he worked as Deputy General Director - State Secretary of the State Corporation "Agency for the Restructuring of Credit Organizations" (SC "ARCO").
Since January 2001, Alexander Torshin has been a member of the Federation Council from the government of the Republic of Mari El - a representative in the Federation Council from the government of the Republic of Mari El (expiration date: January 2015).
In January 2002, he was elected Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council.
Since September 2008 - First Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council.
As First Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council, Alexander Torshin organizes the interaction of the Federation Council with the legislative and executive authorities of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation of the Central, Volga, North Caucasian and Southern districts of the Russian Federation; with public organizations and religious associations.
Member of the Federation Council Committee on Agrarian and Food Policy and the Fisheries Industry, member of the Federation Council Commission on Regulations and Organization of Parliamentary Activities.
He heads the Caucasian Commission of the Council of Legislators, is a member of the National Anti-Terrorist Committee (NAC), a member of the State Anti-Drug Committee (SAC), deputy chairman of the Victory Public Committee under the President of the Russian Federation.
Few Russian politicians have worked in as many areas of public service as Alexander Torshin. The biography of this person is a kind of manual for novice officials. Although it cannot be said that serious career troubles did not occur on his life path. Nevertheless, in most cases Torshin Alexander Porfirievich successfully coped with them. Biography, compromising information on him, personal life, as well as awards and achievements of this person will be the subject of our study.
early years
Torshin Alexander Porfiryevich was born in the family of Porfiry Torshin in November 1953 in the village of Mitoga, which was located in the Ust-Bolsharetsky district, in the Kamchatka region.
After graduating from school in 1973, he was drafted into the ranks of the Soviet Army for military service. Having been demobilized from the armed forces, in 1975 he entered the correspondence form at the VYUZI Law Institute, where he successfully completed his studies in 1978.
Work in the public service
In the same 1978, Alexander Torshin got a job at the Prosecutor's Office of the RSFSR. Here he proved himself from a very good side. In this regard, Torshin was invited to work in the Soviet Association of Political Sciences. Then he went to work at the Presidium of the Academy of Sciences, and, finally, at the Academy of Sciences under the Central Committee of the CPSU and the Office of the President, which at that time was Mikhail Gorbachev.
In the early 90s, significant changes took place in the country: the Soviet Union collapsed, a course was proclaimed towards building a model of a market economy and democratizing society. These events, of course, found their reflection in the career of Torshin, who by that time already occupied prominent government posts.
Career in the 90s
Since 1992, Alexander Torshin has worked in the Government Office, holding the position of deputy head of the department for interaction with parliament and organizations. But already in 1993, he began to hold a similar post in another department - for interaction with the chambers of the Federal Assembly. He was soon promoted to the position of manager. Torshin worked in this department until 1995.
Then, from 1995 to 1998, he goes to work as Secretary of State of the Central Bank. At the same time, Alexander Torshin occupies the post of deputy head in this organization. He leaves the Central Bank of Russia in 1998, as he returns to work in the government, from which he becomes a representative in the State Duma. Until 1999, Torshin also held the post of deputy head of the government apparatus. After that, he goes to work in the state company "ARCO", where he is the secretary of state and deputy head. He worked in this position until 2001.
In 2001 Alexander Torshin became a member of the Federation Council from the Republic of Mari El. The biography of this person is associated with this post for a long time, until 2015. A year later, he becomes deputy chairman of the Federation Council, that is, the second person in this collegiate body. His primary task in this position was to organize interaction with the authorities of the North Caucasian and Volga federal districts, as well as with various public and religious organizations. Alexander Porfiryevich was also a member of the procedural committee of the Federation Council.
The most famous legislative projects proposed by Torshin are a proposal to reduce excise taxes on beer and critical reviews of the anti-tobacco law. In 2011, he also proposed a bill that would allow the Russian Constitutional Court to block European Court verdicts, for which he was condemned by opposition forces and human rights activists.
In the fall of 2004, Alexander Torshin became a member of the pro-government United Russia party.
Investigation of the terrorist attack in Beslan
In the same 2004, Torshin, as part of his work in the Federation Council, was instructed to head a commission to investigate the tragedy in Beslan. Her tasks were not only to find those responsible for the large number of victims as a result of the terrorist attack, but also to develop steps to prevent similar incidents in the future.
During the investigation, the commission took testimony from senior federal and regional officials, including Alexander Dzasokhov, Mikhail Fradkov, and in addition, Alexander Torshin traveled with the commission to the republics of Chechnya and Ingushetia. During the course of the investigation, the federal commission interacted with the commission of the Parliament of North Ossetia, which also carried out similar actions.
The investigation was completed in 2006, and the conclusions of the commission received a rather ambiguous assessment in society. The announcement of the report was long delayed until it was published at the end of the year. Shamil Basaeva, Akhmad Maskhadov and the terrorist Abu Dzeit were named among the organizers and customers of the attacks. At the same time, there was not a word about the officials and civil servants who allowed the Beslan tragedy in the conclusions of the commission. This is the main factor due to which the work of the commission has been sharply criticized by the public.
Work as part of observer delegations
As part of his duties under the Federation Council, Alexander Porfiryevich participated in the work of numerous delegations of election observers in Russia and abroad.
So, he was in the delegation sent to Ukraine in 2004, whose task was to monitor the integrity of the next presidential elections. He later stated that although there were some violations during the second round, they were not in such a volume as to significantly affect the results of the vote, according to the results of which Viktor Yanukovych was the winner. Nevertheless, the Ukrainian opposition demanded re-elections, during which Viktor Yushchenko won.
In 2005, Torshin was already an observer from the Federation Council for the parliamentary elections in the Republic of Chechnya. According to him, there were no violations, and the voting conditions were close to ideal.
In 2006, Alexander Porfiryevich was a member of a group of observers for elections to the Verkhovna Rada in Ukraine, but this time he represented not the Federation Council, but the CIS states. The commission revealed a number of shortcomings related to the electoral lists.
In 2008, Torshin became the head of the parliamentary commission to investigate the tragic events in South Ossetia that year, which resulted in hostilities. He was one of those people who demanded the convening of an international tribunal for this event.
In the fall of 2008, Alexander Porfiryevich was elected to the restored post of First Vice Speaker of the Federation Council, which had previously been abolished.
In 2011, the speaker of the Federation Council S. Mironov was recalled by the body that delegated him to the Federation Council. For this reason, the post of acting speaker, according to the regulations, was assigned to Alexander Torshin. He held this post from May to September 2011, when Valentina Matvienko was elected to the post of head of the Federation Council.
In 2012, Alexander Porfirievich was appointed deputy chairman of the meeting of the Union of Russia and Belarus S. E. Naryshkin, while remaining a member of the Federation Council from the Republic of Mari El.
Return to the Central Bank
A new place of work, where Torshin Alexander Porfiryevich got a job - the Central Bank of Russia. It was there that he left the Federation Council in early 2015. What kind of work does Alexander Torshin do there? The Central Bank of the Russian Federation needed him as a Deputy Chairman and Secretary of State. Actually, he performed these duties during his previous work at the Central Bank in 1995-1998.
In addition, Torshin Alexander Porfirievich became responsible for interaction with the executive authorities and the Federal Assembly. The Central Bank is the place where it operates to this day.
Compromising evidence
In 2016, Torshin was at the center of a major scandal. The Bloomberg agency made public a secret report of the Spanish police, in which Alexander Porfiryevich appears as the head of one of the organized crime groups that laundered money in Spain. At the same time, no official charges were filed.
Alexander Torshin denies any accusations in this case. The Central Bank also denies the participation of its employees in illegal activities.
Awards and achievements
Torshin is a candidate of legal sciences and has two higher educations.
Among the awards of the Order of Honor, Friendship, them. A. Kadyrova, "Commonwealth", medal of Anatoly Koni, title of Honored Lawyer of the Russian Federation. A.P. Torshin has certain memories associated with each award.
Alexander Porfiryevich Torshin is a life member of the National Rifle Association of the United States. He is also a member of the Board of Trustees of the Practical Shooting Federation.
Torshin is an avid weapon collector and can shoot well with a crossbow. Shooting is his lifelong passion.
Family
Alexander Torshin is married. The couple have two daughters who have already given them two granddaughters and a grandson.
As you can see, Alexander Porfiryevich in the family is surrounded almost exclusively by women. They are always ready to support their husband and father.
general characteristics
Alexander Torshin is a rather controversial figure. His name is associated with both positive reviews and various scandals. A significant part of his career is connected with work in the Federation Council. And now he is employed at the Central Bank of Russia in one of the top management positions.
We managed to learn quite a lot about such a person as Alexander Porfiryevich Torshin. The biography, awards, achievements and personal life of this person have been studied by us. But, despite this, it is rather difficult to give a qualitative assessment of the activities of Alexander Torshin, since there are doubts about the objectivity of some data. But I want to believe that this person will be able to bring a lot of benefits to the state and citizens of the country in the future.
The former senator and deputy chairman of the Central Bank is associated with the mafia and the United States.
Former Senator Alexander Torshin from the Mari El Republic oversaw the flow of "dirty" money of the Moscow criminal group before he was appointed deputy chairman of the Central Bank of the Russian Federation last year, Spanish investigators said. Alexander Torshin, as deputy chairman of the Federation Council, instructed members of the Taganskaya organized crime group in Moscow how to launder ill-gotten gains through banks and real estate in Spain, according to a confidential report by the Spanish Civil Guard.
The document was prepared following a three-year investigation that ended in 2013. “It is known that in the hierarchy of the organization, Russian politician Alexander Porfiryevich Torshin is higher than Romanov, who calls him “godfather” or “boss” and carries out “operations and investments” on his orders, the investigators concluded in the report. Romanov was sentenced in May to nearly four years in prison in Spain after pleading guilty to carrying out illegal operations worth 1.65 million euros ($1.83 million) and $50,000.
"Glorious" biography?
Recall that Torshin has been a member of the Federation Council from the Government of the Republic of Mari El since 2001. Today he is the first deputy head of the Central Bank Elvira Nabiullina and is responsible for the interaction of the Bank of Russia with the federal authorities. By the way, earlier Torshin was already Secretary of State of the Central Bank of Russia (with the rank of Deputy Chairman of the Bank). Then he was also responsible for interaction with state administration bodies, public organizations and the press. It seems that Elvira Nabiullina has taken a "verified lobbyist" as her deputy. However, did this make the work of the Central Bank more efficient?
Alexander Porfirievich Torshin first received the mandate of a senator from Mari El in January 2001, and in February 2010, the deputies of Mari El delegated Torshin to the upper house of the Russian parliament for a third term. The powers of A. Torshin ended in 2015. The second representative of the republic in the Russian parliament - Natalia Dementieva - was re-elected to the Federation Council for another term and continues to work there.
Alexander Porfiryevich Torshin is a fairly well-known figure in socio-political circles. This fame sometimes goes far beyond the scope of parliamentary activity and revolves in a variety of areas. But most of all he became famous as an influential lobbyist. He has been doing this activity quite professionally and for a long time. Torshin's activity in recent years has become more reminiscent of not legislative activity, but the execution of commercial orders.
Is it tobacco?
So, in 2011, Torshin began to actively lobby for the interests of tobacco producers. He criticized the anti-smoking bill, developed by the Ministry of Health and Social Development of the Russian Federation, as allegedly overly harsh, restricting people's right to smoke. At the same time, Torshin was not embarrassed by the fact that more than half a million people die every year in the country from diseases caused by smoking. After the anti-tobacco law was supported by the President of the Russian Federation, it became clear that in lobbying the interests of tobacco producers, Torshin directly opposed the initiatives of the federal government.
Following this, Torshin took the side of the beer lobby, becoming a supporter of low excise taxes on beer and promoting the idea that an increase in beer consumption would make it possible to combat the consumption of vodka.
"Chemisted"?
In the sphere of interests of Alexander Porfiryevich, for some time, there was also the chemical industry, which was far from his education as a lawyer and psychologist, and from profile work in the highest legislative body. For example, when there was a fierce struggle for control over the Volgograd JSC "Khimprom", Torshin also did not stand aside - he actively promoted the candidacy of Yuri Batrin for the post of general director of the enterprise. His appointment then, by a very successful "coincidence", was sought by "Renova" Viktor Vekselberg.
Another "chemical attack" by Torshin is a speech in defense of the owners of the chemical plant "Togliattiazot", convicted of hiding part of the profits and fraudulent schemes for the withdrawal of assets. In 2012, he wrote a letter to the head of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation, Alexander Bastrykin, in which he argued that all the accusations against the owners of Togliattiazot were unjustified. The Investigative Committee then regarded this demarche of Torshin as an attempt to put pressure on the investigation. And given that the case against the leaders of Togliattiazot is under the special control of A. Bastrykin, Torshin once again spoke out against the federal government.
In 2012, Torshin got involved in solving the problems of Russian orphans. He suggested that children from orphanages in the Far East and the Far North be relocated ... to families of residents of the North Caucasus. At the same time, Torshin suggested "killing two birds with one stone": "creating new jobs in the Caucasus and saving on the maintenance of orphans." According to the senator, the implementation of this measure should save the authorities from the need to build and maintain children's institutions. Torshin's "children's" project caused sharp criticism: sending children to places where explosions rumble every other day, shots are heard and where not every adult decides to go, no one in Russia seemed like the right idea.
Arms "master"?
And here is one of his most "significant" and "large-scale" projects, which Alexander Torshin has been working on for many years. He became famous as a consistent supporter of the legalization and free circulation of weapons in Russia. His statements are striking and frightening: “The weapon disciplines. The atmosphere in our society will change, because people will not engage in lawlessness, including law enforcement agencies.
And before doing something, a person will think. Look at America - everyone is smiling there. Paradoxically, our society will become kinder, ”said Torshin at the presentation of an expert report on the reform of Russian weapons legislation. Torshin immediately appreciated the scope of this lobbying project, and most likely, his services were not cheap for the customers. According to Torshin, approximately 10.7 million people will be able to purchase weapons if they are legalized. However, according to numerous experts, such “armament” of the population will drastically worsen the crime situation in the country. Given this circumstance, the government and the president rejected the idea of legalizing arms trafficking, and Torshin seriously damaged his reputation and received the nickname "deadly senator."
Torshin's plans spread widely: with his active assistance, the "Right to Arms" (NGO) movement was created, which began to actively promote the idea of \u200b\u200barming society, and almost simultaneously he took the initiative to create the Russian National Arms Union, in the ranks of which, according to him, to join about 14 million people.
American shooter?
Far from everyone knows where the “legs” of this weapons initiative come from. Being at that time a member of the Federation Council of the Russian Federation and the National Anti-Terrorism Committee, Alexander Porfiryevich is also a life member of the US National Rifle Association (NRA). In America, he is known as Alex Torshin. He takes great pride in entering the Oval Office and taking part in the annual National Prayer Breakfast hosted by the President of the United States. High-ranking public figures and officials, including foreign ones, on whom the American leadership would be interested in exerting “soft” pressure, are invited to such breakfasts.
In other words, a member of the Federation Council and the NAC of the Russian Federation, with access to classified information, actually participated in the recruitment activities of a foreign government. What is the US National Rifle Association? This is not just an interest club organized by lovers of bottle shooting. This is the most powerful lobbying organization, included in the lists of the most influential international lobbying organizations in the world by Time and Fortune, closely associated with the US Department of Defense and the CIA.
The scope of the NRA is to promote the supply of weapons around the world. The Association, of course, is extremely interested in expanding the sales market, and Russia in this respect is more than a tasty morsel for the NRA. Question: what does a high-ranking Russian statesman do in the ranks of a foreign lobbying organization? In all likelihood, this kind of activity by Torshin has long irritated the Russian authorities. However, in light of the significant deterioration in Russian-American relations, such frank lobbying of US interests has already become critical for the continuation of Torshin's career in the country's highest legislative body.
Novotroitsky plant
The former senator from Mari El, Alexander Torshin, once inflicted a loss of several billion rubles on the state, but saved the oligarchs he knew from the Novotroitsk Chromium Compound Plant. The activity of the Novotroitsk Plant of Chromium Compounds is associated with the production of products, during the manufacture of which there is an accumulation of highly toxic waste. The environmental hazard of tri- and hexavalent chromium compounds contained in the process sludge from the production of sodium monochromate stored in the sludge reservoir is very high.
These elements are highly toxic to living organisms. At the same time, after entering the Ural River, harmful substances can reach the Caspian Sea downstream, damaging natural ecosystems along their entire path. As a result of a request from the Civic Chamber of Russia, Rosprirodnadzor experts conducted a detailed environmental study of the situation at the Novotroitsk Plant of Chromium Compounds. Massive violations of environmental standards at the plant were established. Rosprirodnadzor issued demands to NZKhS OJSC to collect fees for negative environmental impact for 2009 in the amount of 1 billion 197 million 596 thousand 456.89 rubles. and for 2010 in the amount of 1 billion 910 million 920 thousand 450.95 rubles.
Powerful lobby
The owners of the Novotroitsk Plant of Chromium Compounds tried to challenge the fines of Rosprirodnadzor in numerous arbitration courts, but until the end of 2014, the oligarchs from OAO NZKhS lost all court cases. Immediately after the court upheld the demands of Rosprirodnadzor to collect fees for the negative impact on the environment, the oligarchs from OAO NZKhS turned to the then senator from Mari El and Vice Speaker of the Federation Council Alexander Torshin for help.
Torshin immediately found a "way out" for the oligarchs from the Novotroitsk plant of chromium compounds - you just need to "write off" all debts, due to "the threat of bankruptcy of a strategic enterprise." We emphasize that the interests of the Novotroitsk plant of chromium compounds in court were defended by lawyer Stanislav Puginsky (law office "EPAM"), who was an adviser to Alexander Torshin.
On November 18, 2013, the then vice-speaker of the Federation Council Alexander Torshin wrote an official request to the General Prosecutor's Office of Russia (No. 2.1-27/815) with a request "to prevent actions to bankrupt the strategic enterprise Novotroitsk Plant of Chromium Compounds." First Deputy Prosecutor General of Russia A.E. Buksman and a friend of the lobbyist A.P. Torshina expressed the opinion that the current legislation provides for the possibility of Rosprirodnadzor concluding an amicable agreement with the NZHS on reducing fines, or completely writing off all debt.
Torshin turns to his friends in the Russian government for help. Deputy Chairman of the Government of Russia Arkady Dvorkovich (letter dated April 22, 2014 No. AD-P9-2874 instructs the Ministry of Natural Resources of Russia and Rosprirodnadzor to consider draft settlement agreements with the NZHS. Minutes of the meeting with the First Deputy Chief of Staff of the Government of Russia M.A. Akimov (No. MA-P9 -26pr) Rosprirodnadzor was recommended to immediately conclude an amicable agreement with NZHS OJSC.At the same time, these instructions and recommendations of the Russian Government do not contain specific instructions on how, by concluding an amicable agreement, the parties will be able to avoid violations of the norms of the current federal legislation!
The position of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Ecology of Russia has been unshakable for a long time: NZHS should pay in full so as not to create a precedent for evading environmental payments, which other industrialists will immediately take advantage of. In the department of Sergei Donskoy, a variant of installment plans for the three billionth debt up to 30 years arose. This is where the compromise was “the wolves are full and the sheep are safe”! At the same time, the minister emphasized that Rosprirodnadzor does not have the authority to conclude a settlement agreement with the oligarchs from the NZHS. This will require a special instruction from the Russian government on payment by installments.
However, Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich was not satisfied with this option. In a letter dated June 10, 2014, the Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Government demands that officials in Rosprirodnadzor and the Ministry of Natural Resources of Russia be held accountable for failure to comply with his orders. But the high-ranking official failed to lobby for the interests of Alexander Torshin and the oligarchs from the NZHS.
All of the above may seem like childish pranks if the security forces come to grips with the published information and prove their authenticity. Then the banker Torshin will not soon have to shoot at American stands!
Member of the All-Russian political party "United Russia". PhD in Law.
Alexander Torshin was born on November 27, 1953 in the village of Mitoga, Kamchatka Territory. After graduating from school in 1973, he was drafted into the ranks of the Soviet Army for military service. Having been demobilized from the armed forces, in 1975 he entered the correspondence form at the Moscow State Law University, where he successfully completed his studies in 1978.
In the same year, Torshin got a job in the Russian prosecutor's office. Has proven itself to be very good. In this regard, Alexander Porfiryevich was invited to work in the Soviet Association of Political Sciences. Then he went to work at the Presidium of the Academy of Sciences, and, finally, at the Academy of Sciences under the Office of the President, which at that time was Mikhail Gorbachev.
Since 1992, Alexander Torshin worked in the Government Office, holding the position of Deputy Department for Interaction with Parliament and Organizations. But a year later he began to hold a post in another department, for interaction with the chambers of the Federal Assembly.
Then Torshin goes to work as Secretary of State of the Central Bank of the Russian Federation, where he was until 1998. After that, he transferred to the state company ARKO, where he was Secretary of State until 2001.
In 2001, Alexander Porfirievich was elected a member of the Federation Council from the Republic of Mari El. A year later, he becomes deputy chairman of the Federation Council, that is, the second person in this collegial body. His primary task in this position was to organize interaction with the authorities of the North Caucasian and Volga federal districts, as well as with various public and religious organizations. Torshin was also a member of the procedural committee of the Federation Council.
The most famous legislative projects proposed by Torshin are: a proposal to reduce excise duties on beer and critical reviews of the anti-tobacco law. He also proposed a bill that allowed the Constitutional Court of Russia to block the verdicts of the European Court.
In the fall of 2004, Alexander Torshin became a member of the United Russia party. In the same year, as part of his work in the Federation Council, he was instructed to head a commission to investigate the tragedy in Beslan. Its tasks were not only to find those responsible for a large number of victims, but also to develop steps to prevent similar incidents in the future.
At the beginning of 2015, Alexander Porfiryevich again leaves for the Central Bank of Russia. The Central Bank of the Russian Federation needed him as a Deputy Chairman and Secretary of State. Actually, he performed these duties during his previous work at the Central Bank.
Three years later, on November 30, 2018, Torshin left the Central Bank of the Russian Federation due to his retirement.
Alexander Torshin is also a life member of the National Rifle Association of the United States, a member of the Board of Trustees of the Practical Shooting Federation. The manager collects weapons and knows how to shoot well with a crossbow. Shooting became his lifelong passion.
Alexander Torshin's awards
Honored Lawyer of the Russian Federation (2003)
Honored Lawyer of Mari El (2003)
Anatoly Koni Medal (2005)
Thanks from the President of the Russian Federation, the Government of the Russian Federation, the Chairman of the Federation Council.
Order of St. Sergius of Radonezh II degree (2005) - for work on strengthening state-church relations
Order of Honor "Al-Fakhr" II degree (2005)
Order of Honor (2008)
Order of the Holy Prince Daniel of Moscow II degree (2008)
Order of Friendship (2013)
Order of Glory and Honor II degree (2013)
Order named after Akhmat Kadyrov (2013)
Order of St. Anna II degree (2013, Russian Imperial House)
Order of the Monk Confessor Sevastian, Schema-Archimandrite of Karaganda (December 22, 2013, Metropolitan District of Kazakhstan)
Order of the Holy King Milutin (2014, Serbian Orthodox Church)
Medal of St. Gabriel of Melekessky (2018, Melekessky diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church)